Saturday, February 28, 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Here is a brief update of some of the foods that I have been trying here.

First we have Falafels... very tasty... you really just have to try them to appreciate them

This was at Maceo... very tasty restaurant that I went to for my birthday. I had bergamot sorbet with a fruit compote with some kind of cookie... basically delicious in every way. That night, I also ventured in getting lamb shoulder, kidney and sweetbreads. The kidney resembled a sheep brain that I dissected once in high school, but I still ate it. It was good with the sauce and the fruit with it, but if it was by itself, there would be no way that I could have finished it.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

When it comes to French cinema, there is not much to it. You mainly just have American movies with French subtitles... But at the same time, there are a lot of little independent little theaters that play movies sorted by director. I found this one below by just walking around. This one was only playing Coen Brothers movies... which is so awesome!

I also went to some of the regular theaters to see some box office hits like The Wrestler... which was not as good as some people said it was. It was strange having the French subtitles at the bottom, too.

Other than seeing cinema, seeing plays is a great thing to do in Paris... however, if you do not understand the language, it is probably a good idea to stick with a show for children. I went to the theater and saw Dothy et le Magicien D'Oz (The Wizard of Oz). It was hysterical because it was so over the top and ridiculous in every way. French cinema seems to be the same way. It was fun though to see the musical and to see how different the story can be in a French musical.

Crepes are everywhere and they are everything. They are always made fresh and I have yet to have a bad crepe. My favorite is just the plain sugar and butter crepe. The ham and cheese ones are popular... but I prefer the chicken and cheese. One time, I ventured to the extravagant flavor of nutella and banana... it was amazing, but a bit overwhelming.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Place de la Bastille (Bastille Square) was the location of the notorious Bastille stronghold, which was stormed on July 14, 1789, triggering the start of the French Revolution. The only monument still standing on the square is the Colonne de Juillet, a column commemorating another revolution in 1830 during which king Charles X was replaced by king Louis-Philippe.

We went to an American diner craving some breakfast food. The place was so small and there was constantly a line outside. I waited about an hour for my mushroom and swiss omelette... but it was worth it in the end.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

It was great to wake up to a Paris covered in snow. Although it was way too early to be awake and I was freezing on my way to French lessons, it was still beautiful. But then it melted so fast and by the time I was out of class, it was gone.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Thanks to Craigslist, I managed to get a decent babysitting job that I could do around my busy school schedule. I get to watch over a four year old boy that speaks absolutely no English. His parents want to to speak English around him hough, just to expose. Our communication is hysterical, but we still somehow manage.

This is the lovely street of Paris where I work....

And this is the adorable Ulysse that I get to spend time with. He is quite the character. The other day, he put a towel on his head like a kind of cape and rolled a tube of rolled up paper as a sword pretending that he was Zorro.

I decided to go on a random walk through Paris just to see what happened. I got off at a random stop, took pictures and got back onto a different metro. I ended up going back to Montmartre, which I think is my favorite area of the city.

There were these guys everywhere that were making bracelets for you for donations. I tried to escape, but I am really not good at that, so this guy ended up making a bracelet for me while it was tied to my finger... a great method so that you cannot escape. Then I showed him how much money I had and he said I could have it for free. I didn't even have a full euro on me, haha. This is a picture of a guy who got stuck in the same situation as me.

Overall, it was a very successful random walk. If you are ever in Paris, that is really the best thing there is to do in this city. You always meet new people and find fun things to do.